CPI(M) meeting to urge govt to hold nuclear deal or face consequence

New Delhi, Aug 22 (UNI) The top CPI(M) leadership converged today to put seal of approval on the Polit Bureau's decision against the Indo-US civil nuclear deal and urge the UPA government to shun its resistance towards its demand to put the Pact on hold or face serious political consequences.

The 80-plus members of the CPI(M)'s Central Committee began two-day delibrations at the party headquarters here to discuss the Polit Bureau's decision wherein the government was warned not to proceed with the Pact failing which it would have to face serious political consequences.

On Sunday, the CPI(M) gave an ultimatum to the Manmohan Singh government not to operationalise the Indo-US deal, warning that any such move would have serious implications on the UPA regime and the country as a whole.

The Committee's emergency meeting, advanced by a month, assumes special significance in the backdrop of the fast-paced political developments pointing towards possible withdrawal of support by 63 strong Left MPs leading to the fall of the Manmohan Singh government.

Party General Secretary Prakash Karat, while placing before the Committee members copy of the Polit Bureau's unanimous resolution, apprised the memebrs of its background starting from his and his CPI counterpart A B Bardhan's meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, his interview to a Bengal based English daily daring them to ''withdraw support'', the bureau's two-day meeting followed by the Left parties' united stand on Monday and the calling of the CPI(M) Central Committee's emergency meeting.

Earlier, the CPI also decided to stay away from the UPA-Left Coordination Committee meetings and stressed that since the ''honeymoon with the Left was over, the divorce papers be filed.'' The Central Committee members will start discussions threadbare on the pros and cons of the Left's serving an ultimatum to the UPA government even as the sources insisted that the Congress leadership and the Prime Minister did not seem to be relenting.

Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, West Bengal Left Front Chairman Biman Basu, Party stalwart and spokesperson Sitaram Yechury, Ms Brinda Karat, Mr W R Vardharajan, Mr Basudeb Acharia among others are participating in the meeting.

Despite the fact that Mr Yechury did not talk to the media, an informal talk with other Central Committee members left none in doubt that the Left was ready for ''any eventuality.'' ''If the Congress and the Prime Minister do not heed to our demand and go ahead with the holding of negotiations with the International Energy Atomic Agency (IEAA) on September 14 as indicated by the government, the Left will not budge from its stand,'' said Mr Vardhrajan.

Mr Acharia, Party Floor leader in the Lok Sabha said, ''still much time is left till Septmeber 17 when the Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil is scheduled to hold meeting the IEAA officials in Vienna.'' ''The Congress should utilise this time to realise that 60 per cent of the MPs in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha are opposed to the deal. Not only this, even the public opinion and the nuclear experts are also against the deal,'' Mr Acharia added.

Stating that the Central Committee meet is to discuss only the Pact and not any other issue, Mr Acharia said, ''Not even Mr Ronen Sen's issue.'' Reacting to a scribe's suggestion that why the Left is not seeking a ''a way out'' to salvage the crisis when it is not ready for the snap polls and the Left particularly not well placed because of ''internal dissensions'' in West Bengal and Kerala, Mr Vardhrajan countered the question saying, ''Which party is ready for it?'' ''Only the Congress had to respond now,'' the Left leaders said, adding that even the formal meeting of the UPA was yet to take place to thrash out the issue.

On the time table for dragging the issue or buying the time to settle it, they said, ''if the ruling coalition wanted to delay, the Left parties would also delay. But the whole country can not be kept guessing.'' UNI